Aunties

by Kevin Yee, Wai Ching Ho (Narrator), Rosalind Chao (Narrator)

In the hilarious mystery series 'Aunties,' writer Kevin Yee introduces three unassuming Chinatown shopkeepers who become their community's unlikely guardians. Starring Wai Ching Ho, Rosalind Chao, and Lauren Tom, this series follows Mei, Patricia, and Lian as they transform from everyday merchants into unexpected heroes. By day, they run their shops and practice tai chi; by night, they defend their neighborhood from gentrification, crime, and corruption with surprising combat skills and razor-sharp wit. From executive producers Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, these fierce protectors prove that community—and a little bit of badassery—never grows old.



Wai Ching Ho

Rosalind Chao

Lauren Tom

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Johnny M. Wu

Jay O. Sanders

Michael Oberholtzer

Michelle Krusiec

Paul Niebanck

Bill Heck

Skyler Gallun

Gargi Mukherjee

Stephanie Suganami

Michelle Noh

Kevin Yee

Clem Cheung

Ben Getz

Abrar Haque

Cory Jeacoma

Jahsiah Mussig

Brett Temple

Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published May 7, 2026

About the author

Kevin Yee worked for 15 years at Disneyland in a variety of roles (restaurant management, entertainment) and has written regularly about Disney theme parks since 1997 on Web sites, magazine articles, and blogs. He has written over two dozen books about Disney. He lives in Central Florida, and he visits the Disney parks dozens of times per year with his family.

Reviews

[Lauren Ishee Neider · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this because the plot was a great idea, but it was described as humorous and was not, the writing style made it seem more ridiculous than believable, and the filler music audible put in was very off putting. It became very racially driven and covered dark topics with lots of violence, yet is supposed to be humorous? Yeah this was a miss for me.

[Chanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was entertaining but I found the background audio a little too much. (And I love full production with the bells and whistles)

[Heidi Marshburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a full cast audio.

This was an unexpected gem! I had no idea what to expect when I got it on audible as part of my membership. It was a short quick read. This story was about three old Chinese women the community called Aunties. These three ladies were bada$$ ninja warriors and could beat not only one but how ever many opponents decided to approach them.
There was a company trying to take over china town and they fought back and won! The message was great! You are never too old to protect your community.

[Kelsey Attwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A full cast audiobook with badass Aunties that protect the Chinatown community!

Loved the characters, the narrators, the storyline and the humor. Lowkey wished it was a show so I could see the Aunties bashing up people.

Loved the friendships made and the expose on what is happening in Chinatown.

The very end felt really random and I’m unsure why the author thought that needed to occur to hook people in. Overall though - a super enjoyable book!

[bookSmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Predictable.Great female friendship. An underlying message. Strong cast and production. I want to binge the next installment… but it dosent exist yet.

[Sage Benet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess that I didn’t have high hopes, but I couldn’t stop once I started. It was surprisingly funny yet had heart and a compelling mystery. Would highly recommend!

[Emily Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little mystery listen !!

Forever will be a sucker for interactive book readings !!!!

[N.A. Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Yee I want to fight you for making me cry over Daniel. But I LOVED this stories. Go aunties! After reading Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers I looked for more books about badass aunties and this book hit the spot. The radio drama feel was epic. And then the ending! I need more.

[Ashley Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 15 seconds had me hooked. This needs to be a tv show or a series.

[Kelsi Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don’t know why this is rated so low?!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely story.
I wish I could have neighbors like the aunties, they stood up for their friends and go for it.
It was a really enjoyable listening.

[Chew Wen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an easy and fun listen, a breath of fresh air from the heavy classics I've been reading recently. The dialogue was easy to follow, and production was great. The music, narration and structure of the story resembled that of an American TV sitcom I used to watch as a child. Sure enough, I found out later that the author used to work at Disney as a producer! It was just a right about of absurd and entertaning, given that the whole audiobook is build on the central idea of old aunties (stereotyped to being fit and having boundless energy), being crime-fighting heroes by night.

There were lots of humorous, relatable moments that I appreciated coming from a chinese background. From curses and snarky remarks made in chinese by Aunty Mei, to aunties commenting about how they don't like to gossip (and then immediately launching into gossip), it made the audiobook feel like it was a project sincerely written by the author to the world to share this culture. The mentions of dan tat and asian skincare made me laugh aloud.

The only critiques I have is that the voice actors for the aunties sound too young (aside from the one voicing aunty Mei). These characters are meant to be in their late 60 to 70s, but they were so spritely and used lots of GenZ slang. It made it harder to immerse in the story. Also, I'm aware the author wants to bring listeners' attention to the ignorance faced by cultural communities in America today, but many times the instances of ignorances were too 'in your face'. For example, no one realistically asks an asian person to their face "aren't all the east asian languages similar?", and no one tells their employee explicitly that they were hired because they needed diversity in their team. In its own way, this feels really Disney-channel coded as well. Explicitness makes it easier to the younger audience to receive the message, but it's not the most realistic and hence immersive portrayal of real hate and disctimination.

Overall though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a fun listen!

[NotCleopatra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

It was very entertaining. Just a few minutes in, it was already full of action. The voices of all the narrators brought all the Asian aunties to life.

As an Asian, I related to some parts of the story. It has mentioned how the Asian community have changed throughout the years and how the modern era is affecting it especially the recent pandemic. The struggles that the Asian people faces everyday, especially in the workplace is still not something to be ignored.

I love how they have depicted a group of Asian people looking after Asian people, which is how a community should be. Love how the aunties, given their ages, are all still very active and fun.

Great listening experience, production and narrators!

[Kelsey Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this story. I think packed in so much for such a short “book” but it had so much heart and meaning.

With everything going on in the world, this really hit home. You have these large corporations who want to get rid of the immigrants and take over their buildings. We have seen so much of this happen in the US (and still happening!)

I loved the friendships formed and just the idea of these older ladies protecting their community. Honestly- I hope to be that bada** when I’m older.

I would recommend this for anyone wanting a heartwarming shorter story as a little pick me up.

[Barbara Correa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foi muito divertido. Em apenas alguns minutos já estava cheio de ação. As vozes de todos os narradores trouxeram todas as tias asiáticas à vida.

Mencionou como a comunidade asiática mudou ao longo dos anos e como a era moderna está afetando-a, especialmente a recente pandemia. As lutas que o povo asiático enfrenta todos os dias, especialmente no local de trabalho, ainda não é algo a ser ignorado.

Eu amo como eles retrataram um grupo cuidando do próprio povo, que é como uma comunidade deve ser. Adoro como as tias, dada a idade delas, ainda são muito ativas e divertidas.

Ótima experiência auditiva, produção e narradores!

[Kacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't had much luck with Audible originals produced like this, but damn this was great!!! Suspenseful (in a way, the others are predictable)
Loved the characters and the Chinese culture references!

Such a refreshing and funny, quick mystery listen. Absolutely recommend!



On a separate:
I used to love Chinatown here in our city in Alberta, Canada, but it has become a little run down, and there is quite a bit crime downtown as well...sad to hear Chinatown in the USA is the same. I hope something can be done because I used to love visiting when I was younger.

[aayushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

not a huge fan, it was just ok. audio was good but i wish the story was an hour or two longer and more fleshed out. lot's of potential in this story but i just didn't think it was all that special. the most predictable antagonist ever. i feel like it would be good for 10-year-old me.i don't know how we move on so quickly from danny's death? like i wasn't all that connected to his character but dude DIED what the actual hell?!

why are the 2 indian characters named kyle singh and rachel singh?

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and somewhat humorous, the characters in this book exemplify our need to fight back. The gentrification of so many communities, while deemed progressive, is wiping out cultural diversity and enrichment. I know that this is what the Trumpites want to do—destroy the uniqueness of this country, of our cities, but we need to stop. Make America Hate Again should be stood up to. And the Aunties might just be the ones to do it!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's heartfelt and fun in that Saturday Cartoon way that veers into deeper themes occasionally. At the same time, the resolutions can sometimes feel a bit simplistic and the character development at times can feel on the shallower side. Still, it comes across authentic in what it tries to convey about Asian/immigrant diaspora facing modern threats of displacement. There's plenty of action, and they have a variety of sound effects and voice actors.

[S. Laureen MacDonald Farnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved “Aunties”! The cast was perfection and I need a sequel post haste! I’m talking immediately, if not sooner.

Oh, and I do not know who the Kevin Yee is in the profile associated with this Goodreads situation, but that is NOT the Kevin Yee who totally CHRO-SLAYED in writing “Aunties” and at performing as Mark in the series. 🤓

Five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Trouble in Chinatown
3 old Chinese aunties try to save Chinatown, or as they say,Immigrant Women Get Shit Done!.
A fun, goofy break from reality.

[shanyna m raymundo nyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was funny and was very entertaining. I laughed out loud at a few parts and was intrigued in some. I was sad when certain people were killed off and family was rude. I kind of expected the ending but not the way it went down which was kind of unrealistic but overall it was a really good book.

[olive · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending for sure gives a door into another season, if they decide to do one. I will say everything that happened with Daniel really shocked me. There probably should have been a TW for gunshots; it was so sudden also. But the plot is interesting: a couple of vigil-aunties trying to keep China town alive and not give into the bad guys.

[Vanessa Torrens-Niemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a full cast audio with lots of well-known voices. The production and sound were great. It felt like listening to a movie. The story was just ok, but it was a delightful listen and experience.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great listen, a full cast audio is always great, like listening to a TV show. For a 3 hr short listen, the story was full of twists that made sense and it was not too cramped. I hope they make this a series.

[Michaela Mnukova · Rating 2 out of 5]

The message is great the execution is lacking. The start of the audiobook was extremely confusing, even though the production was amazing.
The plot is okay, very predictable though, the dialogues are very basic-it’s overall very cheesy

[Lynette Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute story about 3 older women in Chinatown and how they try to preserve their heritage when developers try to buy the store owners out was good. I loved the "Aunties", they were great! Tells a story everyone should be concerned about.

[Hannah Hearts Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want a kick-ass story about some vigilante Asian aunties? If so, then Aunties by Kevin Yee is for you. It was my first ever full cast audio book. Wow. It was good. It ended on a cliffhanger,so I hope another comes out.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can just see these old lady Asian ladies kicking ass and taking names. Leaving me on a cliffhanger means there is probably more to come.

Cheeky. Political. Immigrant community focused.

Audible audio was entertaining enough without being obnoxious.

[Erika Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio while short had so much emotion. I fell in love with the badass aunties and really encourage everyone to read this book. It was truly amazing and how deeply gentrifying a community can have so much damage and impact to that community.